Awww, Thanks Harrah's!

Awaiting me in my email this morning... Now if they had only sent me that cupcake! ;)

Elizabeth before she was Mrs. Bartz

This page celebrates the shower that Elizabeth's Aunts threw for her in Cincinnati.  I got to see her this last weekend for the first time since the wedding and I really miss that girl!  It is the first time since she moved to Dallas last October that we are not sure when we will see each other next!  That is hard and why I hate being in different cities, states, regions and timezones from all my best friends!!!

Thank Goodness THAT is over!

You all know one of the things I'm most thankful for this year is passing the CPA exam.  I look back on all the time I spent studying and it is just such a relief to finally be done with that milestone.  I'll be thrilled once I finally get the final certificate and it is proudly hung on my wall at work!  This page commemorates all that hard work and includes pictures from my celebratory dinner at Bonefish Grill.

This is Why You Are Fat....

Ok so I know I'm not the healthiest eater but I don't think I'd eat anything they have on this site!  Check it out for a good laugh and to be a little (or a lot) grossed out thinking about the people who really eat this stuff!

Got Biscuits?

We certainly did tonight!  Jen, Emily and I had dinner at the famous Loveless Cafe.  I have only been there a few times but it did not disappoint based on its reputation.  They are famous for their fried chicken and country ham but most famous for their biscuits.  You might have seen the episode of Throwdown with Bobby Flay that featured this quaint restaurant and their "Biscuit Lady" competing against Flay in a Biscuits and Jam throwdown.  If I recall correctly the Biscuit Lady prevailed and if you are in Nashville, this place is a must hit!

Touchdown Jesus

In mid August Darren and I joined almost all of his Med School friends for Kevin & Beth's wedding.  We had such a fun weekend in South Bend.  The beautiful wedding held at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart on the campus of the University of Notre Dame. Finally after about six trips to South Bend, previously all for work, I got to see the famed "Touchdown Jesus!"

A Trip Back in History

In August I went to Washington DC to visit Jenny who I hadn't seen since New Years Eve. We spent the weekend catching up.  When I wanted to do something "touristy" on my trip, she suggested going out to Mount Vernon, George Washington's summer home.  I had never been and she hadn't been since elementary school.  We spent a beautiful summer day walking around the grounds, admiring the view of the Potomac River and marveling at the beauty of a house built so long ago.  The only drawback is that they charge for admission where virtually everything else in the city is free.  It is $15 and now they even have a tour that takes you "behind the scenes" from National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets (for an additional $5).  I wish I had that this summer because that would have been really neat as well!

The Saucer

These pictures are from a night in July at the flying Saucer.  It was Darren's first visit to this Nashville beer lover's paradise.  I probably should have added some journaling to this page, I might have to go back to do that.  I'm officially into scrapbooking August 2009!  Yay!

A Room (*Suite*) with a View

On Sunday, Jon scored us free tickets to the Titans/Cardinals game.  It turned out to be the game of the season so far!  What an amazing comeback Vince Young led going 99 yards down the field with 2 minutes 37 seconds left on the clock.  If you haven't heard about it, you've probably been in a cave all week.  In case you haven't heard, check out the recap and video of the game winning catch here. 

I forgot to mention that our free tickets were in a suite with unlimited food and drinks!  The suite is owned by the bond trading firm Jon's Bank uses.  He had never been to a Titans game before so they invited him to join them and bring a guest, me! :)  What a great day for him to see his first NFL game live!  We had such a fun afternoon at the stadium!  This was our view and Jon and I celebrating the big win.

German Chocolate Cake Goodness

My brother assisted in this year's creation of the German Chocolate Cake. It was far better tasting than it looked.  No thanks given to it sticking to the wax paper and looking somewhat lopsided!  If you want the recipe, buy a bar of Bakers German Chocolate and it is inside the box including the frosting recipe.  The secrets is making sure you beat your egg whites to "stiff peaks" and cooking the frosting until its dark, gooey and will set up easily. 

A Very Thankful Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving was once again spent in Hopkinsville with the greatest family in the world! I have some crazy cousins but they remind us older ones (over 20, hehe) that life is a fun ride and we should stop and enjoy being goofy sometimes!  I can't wait to spend many days at Christmas laughing with these three crazy and beautiful girls!

Many of you also know that the family nickname for so many of us is "Turkey."  Well my Uncle Jerry (pictured below) is the one who started this trend before I even remember it and so we thought it was appropriate for him to get a Thanksgiving shirt with a football wearing turkey.  Then I bought a few other shirts with "I love Turkey" on them with my me, my mom and my Aunt Kathy (Jerry's Wife) modeling!

It's a Girl!!

Two of my favorite people in the world found out they are having a healthy baby GIRL today!  Bring on the dresses, shoes and pink!  Congratulations Laura & Eric!  I can't wait to meet Baby Girl S on or about April 19th!